The Night of Truth, The Dawn of Life
by Originals143
Summary: What would you call it if you spend the entire night of your honeymoon in just... talking? You can get to know your partner much better than you could have ever imagined. AU. Futureverse.


**|: The Night of Truth, The Dawn of Life :|**

**A/N :** Decided to take a break from 'Until The Very End'. Don't worry, it will be updated soon, as and when I get fresh ideas. Till then, please bear this one-shot.

Disclaimer (since apparently it's mandatory) : I DO NOT own CID or any of the characters. Credit for the OCs and the title and the cover goes entirely to PR.

Some parts have been closely inspired by several stills of Harry Potter.

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"Finally!" Jeanie panted, tossing her stray hair strands away from her face, as she pushed her bag to a corner and plonked down on the bed.

Her husband followed closely behind, bearing the slightly disapproving look of having to deal with two-third of the luggage all by himself, and pushed the door shut, shoving the bags in whatever place he could find.

"Nice room, isn't it?" Jeanie straightened up, casting a scan across their suite, to which her husband could just utter a "Hmm" in reply. She chuckled watching her husband obediently arranging the bags in their place, but suddenly put on a shocked face as something struck her.

"Let me just inf..." Jeanie pulled out her phone from her jeans pocket, when it gave a loud tinkling sound, sending a resonating wave through the room. She rolled her eyes in exasperation as she saw the number on the screen. "He..." She started, but was stopped midway by a sudden bombardment of a series of enquiries emitted from the other end.

"Hello! Jeanie beta!" Manisha's hysterical voice came from the other side. "Did you reach already? Beta, you could have told us your flight was getting delayed. I and Freddy have been trying since the past two hours. And did the journey go smooth? Are you alright? You aren't feeling sick, are you? Has your luggage arrived safely?" Jeanie shut her mouth for the fifth time in those ten seconds, failing to utter a word yet again, patiently waiting for her guardian-mother to finish, and switched to the speaker in the meanwhile.

Sensing it was now safe to talk, when she heard a faint breathing sound on the phone, she made up her mind to finally open her mouth. "I am f..." She had hardly opened her mouth to assure Manisha about her smooth journey, when she was disrupted yet again, by what seemed like a fight. "Manisha! You were able to connect! When on earth were you going to tell me?!" came her guardian-father's voice from the background, as he seemed to have come over, attempting to snatch the phone from his wife's hand. "I am talking na!" Manisha struggled to free the phone.

Jeanie merely shook her head in sheer exasperation, and sensing the possibility of her parents' poor phone getting shattered to pieces from all the pulling, she shouted. "Maa! Just switch the speaker on for the sake of that poor brand new phone!" Her tone was indignant.

Once she heard a click from the other end, she talked again. "Alright! Maa, Papa, you don't have to fight for talking to me, now. So, for God's sake, stop arguing like kids already!" Kenny stifled a giggle, as he saw the disgruntled look on his wife's face. "As for the answers to your queries, Maa, we with our luggage have reached safely. Yes, the flight was delayed for a couple of hours. We couldn't inform because we were too busy with the formalities and to top it, our terminal was changed at the last moment, so there was a small chaos. I am absolutely fine, no health issues, nothing. And we are now sitting comfortably in our room, which looks perfect. So, yeah, all's good!" She gave a deep sigh as she finished, Kenny smiling in amusement at her.

Post a pin-drop silence for a complete ten seconds, Manisha heaved a sigh of evident relief, which automatically brought a smile on Jeanie's lips. She knew her parents only too well. "We were just... worried for you, beta! You know how protective your father is about you!" Manisha supplied in a seemingly calm voice, only to be interrupted by her offended husband. "Hey! Who had kept me up the entire night worrying about her daughter's journey? It was _you_, not _me_!" Freddy's tone was indignant.

"Papa! Not again, if you please!" Jeanie gritted her teeth, and before another frown could take its place on his wife's forehead, Kenny took charge. "Hi Maa! Hi Papa! Your daughter's fine, alright. She will be, I will make sure of that. Don't you guys worry." He assured his in-laws, earning relieved sighs from the other end. "Of course, you will!" Freddy answered, now sounding immensely relaxed, before continuing in a mischievous tone. "Just hoping my daughter doesn't trouble you much." He and Kenny burst into peals of laughter, which earned them soft punches on the shoulders by their respective wives.

"Jokes apart! Jeanie, take care darling! Enjoy, and we _love_ you!" Manisha supplied, emphasizing on the last words, and Jeanie smiled, probably the first time since talking to her parents that evening. "We love you too! And I'll call you tomorrow." She finished, Kenny joining her to wish them a good night.

Jeanie let out a deep breath as she threw the phone on the bed, which reminded her husband to take out his own. "Now... if you want us to spend our honeymoon and the rest of our life in peace, I better call up _my_ Mom!" He said, and murmuring something under his breath what seemed like a prayer, dialled a number.

Needless to say, the prayers came handy, for as soon as the line got connected, an unexpectedly loud, howling sound was emitted from the handset, and Kenny narrowly missed falling off from the bed.

"_Sub-inspector Kaushik! How dare you leave my daughter-in-law alone at the airport?! I am absolutely disgusted! I could have faced inquiry with your father-in-law over this, and it would have been entirely your fault! Let me remind you again, if you leave her alone one more time on your honeymoon or anytime in the future, I'll have you deal with none other than the monster in me!"_

Before Kenny could recover from the shock and the sudden attack of his mother or before Jeanie's eyeballs could pop straight out and her jaw could settle back to its position, the voice changed within a blink of an eye to the softest tone ever heard on earth.

"Ohh by the way, Jeanie, I hope you're doing good, sweetheart!" Dr. Niyati's voice sounded coated with layers of sugar, and Kenny gave his wife a thoroughly offended look.

The poor sub-inspector closed his eyes momentarily, and following a considerably long silence, cleared his throat theatrically as he heard a miffed grunt from the other end. "Are you done, Mom?" He asked meekly, in a voice as wary as possible. "_Yes!_" came the senior forensic expert's reply in a thoroughly vexed tone from the handset.

Taking few deep breaths, Kenny started very carefully. "Alright! Mom, one, your dear daughter-in-law... is... extremely... fine! Two, we both are good, and very much in each other's company. Three, your daughter-in-law is not a ten-year-old kid, in case you haven't forgotten! I had just gone for a mere _ten minutes_ to enquire about the flight, and in that time, your daughter-in-law who is also my wife, could obviously take care of herself, I can bet." He finished in a nearly irritated tone.

Jeanie, who was enjoying the epic conversation between the mother-son duo, laughed in a bemused tone. "I am fine, Mom! And Kenny's taking good care of me, don't worry!" She assured, and Kenny hastily put in. "Mom, I'm absolutely overwhelmed by the fact that you are concerned about my wife, but I'd be happier if you show at least a negligibly small amount of concern for your son, too!" He retorted, pouting like a disappointed kid.

"You're my big brave boy, Kenny! I know you're fully capable of taking care of yourself." Niyati spoke in a normal tone the first time that evening. "Anyways, just wanted to know whether you guys are alright. I won't take much of your time. So, kids, have a rocking honeymoon. We'll talk tomorrow. Love you!" She finished, to which the newly wedded couple sang in unison. "Love you too, Mom!" Kenny shook his head in exasperation, as he disconnected the call.

"Nothing can beat parents, I tell you!" His tone was incredulous. "Correction!" Jeanie raised her index finger to differ. "Nothing can beat _our_ parents!" She laughed in spite of herself, and Kenny couldn't help but join in. "True that!" He snapped his fingers in agreement.

"Recall the heated debate our parents had on how we should get married? Mom wanted a church wedding while Maa and Papa wanted us to go for the traditional rituals." Jeanie exploded into peals of laughter as they recollected the incident. "Gosh, they had even decided on the type of flowers for the decor!" She held onto her sides, fearing they could burst any minute.

"I still remember the priceless expressions on their faces when we told them our decision of doing a court marriage! Papa was upset for two whole days!" It was now Kenny's turn to hold on to the bed, as the scandalized faces of his mother and in-laws floated in front of him.

"We have the most amazing parents one could ask for!" Jeanie rolled her eyes, and keeping their phones for charging on the bedside table, stretched in order to relieve the weariness, only to find her husband staring at her, as though looking for an answer. "What?" She shot back a confused look.

Smiling back, Kenny scooted close to her and started caressing her hair. "Do you want to... talk? I mean, is there something you've always to tell me but never got the chance?" He wanted to know, which earned him a look more confused than earlier from her. "Kenny, for heaven's sake, we've known each other for like four years now. I don't think there's anything about me you don't know!" She replied in a slightly perplexed voice.

"You never know. Sometimes, we think we know everything about our better half, but once you start living with them, you realize there is hardly anything you know!" He took her hands in his own, and looked into her eyes. "Tonight, I want you to say everything. _Every damn thing_ you feel like. No matter how irrelevant it is."

All Jeanie could do was stare deep into his eyes and feel the silence of the moment, which was broken by him. "And you can cry if you want. Cry as much as you want, if that makes you feel better! I won't stop you. Just remember I'll be there if you need a shoulder!" He smiled, and she reciprocated willingly.

"How about we both talk about nothing and everything? Even if it takes the entire night?" Jeanie offered, and he instantly nodded.

"And I don't want to hear the story of how you fell for me! I'm tired listening to it!" Jeanie snapped at her husband, who gave a mischievous smirk. "But you love it, don't deny." He winked and earned an annoyed poker-face in response.

A frown creased Jeanie's forehead when she saw a serious expression on her husband's face. "You know, my father had also given promises to my Mom before he married her!" His voice went downcast, and Jeanie could sense the pain in it. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he continued without looking at her.

"No matter how much I pretend to have forgotten it, the truth is I remember it all. _Everything_. It's still fresh in my memory... like it happened just yesterday!" He spoke in a hushed voice, and Jeanie realized he was shaking.

Without disrupting the turmoil running through his mind, she let him continue. She _knew_ he had to get it all out. Once and for all.

"Through the day, he used to be normal. But, during the nights, I don't know... some... some kind of beast used to get inside him. And then... then there used to be hell! Just... hell!" His voice now cracked as he spoke. Jeanie clutched his arm tightly, letting him go on.

"See this!" He pulled up his t-shirt from a side, revealing numerous wounds and bruises on his waist, and Jeanie let out a shocked gasp. "Kenny! What..." She couldn't bring herself to speak any further, her eyes brimming with tears. "They still hurt sometimes." He spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "All these years, people never believed my Mom when she told my father used to beat me up. Adi was the first one who believed!" He ploughed on without looking at her or the tears which were now running down her face. She brushed them off, for she knew he needed her more than anything at that moment.

After staring off into space for a few seconds, he finally looked at her. "You know, over the years, the more I despised my father, the more respect it helped me to grow towards my Mom! She is the strongest woman... chuck that... she is the strongest human I've ever known!" He took a deep breath before continuing. "Nights, months and years of endless torture, people's taunts, hellish burdens of work and raising me... and not a single nerve of remorse, of pain ever did show up on her face. Mom, you're great!" His voice cracked, his body trembling as he let the tears flow down.

Jeanie cupped his face in her hands, and turned him to face her, in spite of knowing she wouldn't be able to bear those tears in his eyes. "I know! I know Kenny! Dr. Niyati Pradhan. My boss, my mentor, my sole inspiration. More than a senior, I've always looked up to her in every aspect. And now, I can proudly say I have the best mother-in-law one could ask for!" She smiled through her tears.

When he looked away, she could feel he was still shaking. She gently caressed his hair. "It's ok, Kenny! The past is a past. Mom was strong enough to separate from the man... to give _you_ a better life, a better future. And to this day, you are here. Mom is with us. I guess that's all that matters, doesn't it?" She looked at him keenly, sensing his pain.

Kenny turned to face her with a sudden jerk, and took her hands in his. "Jeanie, tonight, on this night, I just want you to know that I will never, never ever make you go through what my Mom suffered! I'll never do that!" She shook his head violently, letting the tears give way.

"Shh! I know you won't! I trust you with my life on that." Jeanie assured, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back and closed his eyes, feeling the pain melting out in that one hug. He wished time would freeze to that one moment.

When they separated from the hug after a few minutes, Jeanie saw Kenny's eyes were blood-red, but he seemed soothed. She gently pressed his temples, and smiled lovingly to ease the tension. "You know, a week before marriage, Mom and Maa-Papa had a small argument." She laughed in spite of herself, and Kenny narrowed his eyes in confusion. "You know how they are! They can possibly _never_ agree on anything! Maa and Papa, as usual, were lecturing me on how to behave, to stay disciplined after marriage. And then, out of nowhere, Mom interrupted and started arguing with them on how they should stop bothering me about discipline and that I can do whatever I wish!" She shook her head recollecting the incident.

Taking a deep pause, she ploughed on. "That's where I was convinced I have the best mother-in-law in the world!" She smiled, and Kenny nodded approvingly.

"But, you know what? Your Maa and Papa are the most beautiful couple I have ever come across! Like _ever_! I wanted my relationship to be exactly as theirs! As strong as ever." He smiled. "That we will be, I am positive!" Jeanie scooted closer to him, and he took her face in his hands.

Their faces were barely inches apart, when the memorable moment was disrupted by a loud ringing sound. "What the..." Kenny cursed under his breath as Jeanie turned around to get the phone. She squirmed in confusion seeing the number on screen. "Daya uncle? At this hour?" She blinked.

"Who's it?" asked an irritated Kenny, whose face still looked as though someone had forcefully woke him up from his sleep in the middle of the night. "It's Daya uncle's landline." Jeanie replied answering the call. She instantly regretted the decision of doing so, for the moment she pressed the 'Answer' button, she felt her auditory muscles nearly getting damaged.

"_Hiiiiiiiiiiii..._" A loud chorus of several voices with intensity slightly lower than a bomb attacked the poor junior forensic scientist's ear, and she hastily switched to the speaker-mode, gently caressing her ear.

"How... guys... you... enjoying... what... missing... love..." were some of the words the couple could figure, even though they recognized the voices. Shaking her head animatedly, Jeanie raised her voice in an attempt to be heard. "_Guys_! Guys, simmer down! We can understand only one person talking at a time!" Her tone was indignant, and post a brief silence, came a meek voice. "Sorry!"

Recognizing the voice in an instant, Kenny put in. "Alright, then, Khushi! Would you please bother to explain what is all this about?" He enquired in a perplexed tone. "We just wanted to s..." Khushi started, but was violently interrupted midway by an ear-splitting cry. "_Hiiiiiii Kenny! Hiiiii Jeanie! How're you guys doing?!_" It was closely followed by a wail, as it was now Khushi's turn to massage her ear. "Ouch!" She complained, and her twin-brother instantly came to her rescue. "Relax, Vin! Chill! I wonder how Rajat uncle puts up with you all day long!" Atharv scowled, and greeted a quick 'Hey guys' over the phone. "Just as Vivek uncle and Tasha aunty put up with _you_ all day!" Vinithra retorted.

"Hi Vin! Hey everyone! We're good." Jeanie smiled. Kenny slightly bent down closer to the phone, and Jeanie pushed it towards him. "What are you guys doing at Daya uncle's place?" He asked narrowing his eyes.

It was now Saara's turn to do the explaining, which she was eagerly awaiting. "Umm... Papa is away on a conference, which leaves the house all empty, so naturally... all _ours_!" She quipped mischievously. "Right then, Suckerpunch! Now, let me talk! You may leave!" Adi teased his better-half before turning to the receiver. "Wait till Mom hears about this!" Saara's threatening voice could be heard from the background.

"Wait. You guys are having a _slumber_? Without us?" Kenny asked in a dejected tone raising his eyebrows. "Huh! As if this is the last slumber we'll be having!" Adi replied dryly. "Anyways, dude, just wanted to say that we are _not_ missing you at all. Just as you guys are not missing _us_." Adi teased mischievously, and Jeanie rolled her eyes. "Oooooo..." The five of them hooted in a perfectly synchronized tune. "Recall the number of times _you_ remembered us on _your_ honeymoon, Adi!" Kenny snapped, and Saara hurriedly put in. "Hold there, Kenny! Wherever you go, you simply can't forget the Team Z!" She sang.

"Who's forgetting whom? We're already dying to have another slumber with you guys!" Jeanie clapped enthusiastically. "Well, let's hope you're dying for something else before that!" Vinithra said a bit too excitedly, which is followed by a complete awkward silence for a whole ten seconds. Kenny and Jeanie looked at each other, and suddenly wanted the earth to swallow them in. Separately.

Before Vinithra could realize the moment of embarrassment, the profound silence was broken by Khushi's giggles. "You guys... are _impossible_!" Jeanie, who had finally dared to raise her head from her hands, shook her head in sheer bewilderment, her face still the colour of a fresh watermelon. "Shameless they are!" Kenny empathized with his wife.

"Alright, alright! Enough already!" Adi shouted over the phone getting into his 'Boss' mode. "We still have a week to disturb them. So, I guess this much is enough for today." He announced, before putting in the most mischievous tone possible. "I know, I know! You guys are waiting for us to get lost." He whispered into the phone. "Yes, we are, if you don't mind! Now please get lost!" Kenny barked. It took a whole ten minutes to end the conversation, and Jeanie heaved a sigh of relief, placing the phone away.

"So... where were we?" She smirked, scooting close to Kenny and whispered in his ear, her hair tickling his cheeks, and they continued from where they had halted.

"Remind me again why exactly did I fell for you!" Kenny murmured in Jeanie's ear, his voice muffled by her hair, and she pulled away instantly. "No! Kenny! Don't you have anything else to talk?!" She asked incredulously.

Kenny gave a soft laugh, pulling her close again. "Why? I love reminding myself why and how I fell head over heels for you!" He grinned, kissing her cheek.

She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "It's just that, I'm not exactly used to so much of love in my life. Sometimes I can't believe my own luck!" She paused for a second to stare deep into his eyes. "The amount of love that you guys have given me, you have no idea how lucky I am!" It was her turn to get emotional.

"Oh come on! You deserve every bit of it, all right?" He stared deeper into her eyes, to convey the truth in his words. She knew they _were_ true. Still, she sometimes used to find it difficult to trust her fate. "I wonder you'd have said the same thing if you'd met me several years ago." She said.

A frown creased his forehead, as he waited for her to continue. "I had no friends, Kenny! I was a complete loner in college. No one to talk to... except Maa and Papa. They were the only source I could talk to!"

She shrugged uncomfortably, biting her lip. "I don't know whether it was my problem that I never gelled up with anyone, or that people never made the efforts to approach me. To talk to me. To understand me. I had started to think there's some problem! Being an extraordinarily reticent girl, everybody used to make fun of me! It felt as if I wasn't worth anything!" She looked down, fidgeting with the sleeve of her sweater.

Kenny took her hand in his hand and made her look at him. "That's not true! We all know who you are and how much you matter to all of us! And for heaven's sake, stop feeling low about yourself! I haven't chosen you as my life-partner for no reason!" Kenny implored.

Jeanie looked at him and snorted uncannily. "A guy had dated me, just to make fun of me... to mock me in every possible thing! And I was a fool to trust him! But, you know what? It taught me to stop caring. To stop bothering about life. It taught me to take life as it came! And... it helped!" She gave a rueful smile, now looking at him.

"I know about all that. And I don't care about that idiot. He didn't bother to understand you, it's his loss! What is important after all, is you are with me! We are here... for ever and ever!" Kenny smiled, his eyes fixed on hers.

"And let me tell you something." He ploughed on. "Right now, to this day, what matters is, _you_ are someone's sole reason for living. Someone would be dead just _thinking_ about separating from you. _You_ are the reason someone smiles at every single second. I guess that sums it up!" He raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer, and she nodded in agreement. "It sure does!" She smiled back.

"No wonder Adi calls you the 'Mother Hen' of the team! The way you care for everyone. Specially Vin and Khushi!" Jeanie ruffled her husband's hair affectionately, and he gave a dark scowl, setting his hair back.

Apart from her parents, Jeanie had never thought she would have that one person who would go to world's ends to bring one smile on her face in the darkest of times. Before meeting Kenny. She kept staring at him, unaware of the tears which had formed up in her eyes, before the snap of his fingers brought her back to her senses. He was looking at her with a thoroughly confused expression, his head tilted to a side.

She simply shook her head, brushing her tears away. Both of them knew they needed no reason of why they had appeared.

Though it wasn't necessary, he decided to ask. "You ok?" She gave an assuring nod, before pointing to his head. "Your hair!" His hands subconsciously reached to his precious hair, and before he knew, she started ruffling it violently, messing them up completely amidst loud giggles.

"Jeanie! No!" He frowned. He held her hands tightly once she stopped, and taking the opportunity, started tickling her. "Ahh! No! No!" Her giggles grew louder as she started tickling him back and pulling his hair. After a while, once they stopped, they panted for breath and rested their heads on the wall.

"You can be a real devil sometimes!" Kenny teased his wife, who was still laughing intermittently. "You haven't yet seen the real devil in me, darling. Try messing with me and you'll come to know!" Jeanie pointed out in a mock-threatening tone, and he stuck out his tongue at her in reply.

He suddenly pulled her in his arms, and whispered in her ear. "I'll love dealing with this devil!" He winked, and she poked him in the ribs, before resting her head back on his shoulder. "Thanks! For everything!" She looked sideways at him without moving her head from the warmth of his shoulder.

"Now _this_ is what I don't like. You better do away with all this as soon as you can!" He said, and she returned a 'As-if' look.

The night went on, and so did their talks. They talked literally about nothing and everything. About the silliest of things. Especially about the silliest of things. They talked about the most crucial things.

As the day dawned, unbeknownst to them, they learned there were things they actually didn't know about each other. Things which could help towards a better future in the long run.

"You know, this is one of the _best_ nights of my life! Just talking to you and listening to you talk. It's been ages we've had a talk like this. And it felt like it was just what I needed." Jeanie smiled, taking Kenny's face in her hands. "I'm ready to spend my entire honeymoon in just listening to you, if that is what makes us know each other better!" Kenny took her hands in his, and she shook her head, giving a soft laugh in spite of herself.

She hugged him tightly and possessively, without saying a single word. He hugged her back with the same feeling. Staying in the warmth of the hug in the prolonged silence was all that was needed at that moment.

"Let's catch up with some sleep!" Kenny yawned, stretching himself and lied down comfortably under the sheets. Jeanie widened her eyes in bewilderment. "Kenny! It's five in the morning!" She laughed, sensing the day outside had dawned and casting a quick glance at the watch.

Switching off the lights on the side-table, Kenny pulled his wife besides him, and wrapped his arms around her. "So? Big deal! Which duty do we have to report on, today?" He whispered, pulling the sheets over them and kissed his wife on the forehead. She smiled happily, snuggling closer in his arms, as they drifted off into a deep slumber with a dream of waking up to a new chapter in their life.

**~~ The End ~~**

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**A/N :** Some facts need to be made clear here. Daya is a single parent. He adopted Saara when she was three, and she has been the only girl he loves with all his life. Daya being single is my personal choice. It has nothing to do with Shreya or Muskaan and I definitely don't hate them because they have been associated with Daya. Also, I don't prefer Daya to be single just because no girl on earth has the right to be his better-half or it tarnishes his image or charm. But because, I feel no girl in CID has been able to match up to his personality. Nothing against Shreya or Muskaan, again. MY PERSONAL CHOICE!

When Saara says "Wait till Mom hears about this", she is referring to Tarika, because as we all know Adi is much closer to Tarika than to Abhijeet, so it's natural she has a liiiiiitle more control over his behaviour.

No compulsion on reviewing. Don't like, don't review.

Thanks PR for everything. :-)


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